Posts Tagged ‘ Psalms ’
But I will sing of your strength and will joyfully proclaim your faithful love in the morning. For you have been a stronghold for me, a refuge in my day of trouble.
Psalm 59:16, CSB
Peace comes from following God and doing what He has called us to. Resting in God’s faithfulness, love, and strength by knowing His Word and seeking Him is where we find this peace, and we are called to share that peace with others.
Turn away from evil and do what is good; seek peace and pursue it.
Psalm 34:14, CSB
Peace comes from following God and doing what He has called us to. We can bring peace to others by doing the good work of sharing the gospel.
“Stop fighting, and know that I am God, exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.”
Psalm 46:10, CSB
God fights for us, so we can rest knowing He is sovereign and will change this world through us.
I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you.
Psalm 119:11, CSB
God is in control, and the Bible helps us see His sovereignty and goodness, helps us to be faithful to His will.
even there your hand will lead me; your right hand will hold on to me.
Psalm 139:10, CSB
No matter what life brings, God is in control. It is best to trust Him and live by His leading as found in the Bible, by the Holy Spirit, and with help from the Church.
I enjoy the Christmas season. I enjoy celebrating Advent.
The first week of Advent can be found here.
The second week of Advent can be found here.
The third week of Advent can be found here.
The fourth week of Advent is traditionally seen as being a time for looking at love. This year, I am using some of the readings from the Revised Common Lectionary.
Let’s get into (a slightly longer devotional for)
Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Micah 5:2-5a, CSB
you are small among the clans of Judah;
one will come from you
to be ruler over Israel for me.
His origin is from antiquity,
from ancient times.
Therefore, Israel will be abandoned until the time
when she who is in labor has given birth;
then the rest of the ruler’s brothers will return
to the people of Israel.
He will stand and shepherd them
in the strength of the Lord,
in the majestic name of the Lord his God.
They will live securely,
for then his greatness will extend
to the ends of the earth.
He will be their peace.
God revealed that The Messiah would be born in the town of Bethlehem after a period of silence from God. But this Messiah would be the King of Israel and His fame and rule would go around the world, bringing peace and hope. We can see the love of God in this King being a loving shepherd, and there is evidence of this being God Himself based on His being born yet also “from antiquity.”
Listen, Shepherd of Israel,
Psalm 80:1-7, CSB
who leads Joseph like a flock;
you who sit enthroned between the cherubim,
shine on Ephraim,
Benjamin, and Manasseh.
Rally your power and come to save us.
Restore us, God;
make your face shine on us,
so that we may be saved.
Lord God of Armies,
how long will you be angry
with your people’s prayers?
You fed them the bread of tears
and gave them a full measure[a]
of tears to drink.
You put us at odds with our neighbors;
our enemies mock us.
Restore us, God of Armies;
make your face shine on us, so that we may be saved.
The writer of Psalm 80 shows us that this King is God, the God of angel armies who sits above the cherubim. He will restore His people through forgiveness and salvation as their loving shepherd.
Therefore, as he was coming into the world, he said:
Hebrews 10:5-10, CSB
You did not desire sacrifice and offering,
but you prepared a body for me.
You did not delight
in whole burnt offerings and sin offerings.
Then I said, “See—
it is written about me
in the scroll—
I have come to do your will, God.”
After he says above, You did not desire or delight in sacrifices and offerings, whole burnt offerings and sin offerings (which are offered according to the law), he then says, See, I have come to do your will.[b] He takes away the first to establish the second. By this will, we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time.
The writer of Hebrews then quotes Psalm 40 to show that this Shepherd King is also a Priest who does God’s will to make a new covenant of salvation from sin. God Himself is our Shepherd King and High Priest who became a human to save us from our sin.
“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill what he has spoken to her!”
Luke 1:45, CSB
Mary believed that God had chosen her to bring this Priestly Shepherd King into the world.
Now, we are called to believe that God came to us through her, that Jesus came to save us from our sin, and that He loves us enough to have taken our shame upon Himself.
“If you love me, you will keep my commands.”
John 14:15, CSB
We are now called to love the world in the same way. If we love our God, we will lay down our very lives to proclaim His love to a lost and hurting world, giving them the hope of eternity in the joy and peace of Christ.
Lord, we thank You for the love that saves us. By the power of the Holy Spirit, please guide us in Your love to share the hope of Christ, to live in the peace of Christ, and to discover the joy we have in Christ. Thank You for loving us. Thank You for coming for us. Thank You for promising to come for us again. Thank You, Jesus, our Immanuel.
Looking at a daily devotional, I couldn’t help noticing that our American day of Tahnksgiving falls on the 333rd day of the year.
My mind immediately thought, “That’s funny. Our holiday is only half-evil,” going from the traditional understanding of “666” being the number of the Antichrist.
Naturally, that took my mind to Scripture:
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Ephesians 5:15-21, ESV
The world is a crazy place with more sin than we can fathom being celebrated, yet we can come together in thankfulness for our Lord who is redeeming the world and will soon return in glory.
Let us encourage each other in Christ, especially on a day like Thanksgiving but also throughout the year. Enjoy times with each other as the Church, and love your family and friends.
Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good … even when the world is half evil.
Happy Thanksgiving.
You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.
Psalm 119:114, ESV
Trust God. He is the place we find safety and security, defense from evil, as He has revealed in His Word.
Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah
Psalm 68:19, ESV
God moves in and with us, guiding us and strengthening us, and the primary way He does this is by the Holy Spirit through His Church. Trust Him and be with His people.
Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!
Psalm 133:1, ESV
We are called to unity in Christ, and it is something that the world will notice. May we abide in Christ and with each other.
a simple man of God 